Readers' comments

Much more rigid and primitive are the ideologies sponsored between lines by this magazine. What matters is to keep oil prices and expenditures in military weapons by the sauds 'stable', never mind the looting of a trillion plus $ and 1/3rd of the population in poverty, no rights for women, and slavery abolished nominally only a few decades ago. The most barbarian regime is good cause humans are the 'costs' of the economic capitalist system. The Economist has not changed ideology since his owners, the rothschild took over the manufacturing of wars in the XIX c. Now the Sauds are the biggest customer of BAE and that justifies it all.
One day though a new osama will rise in the day of atonement at the big mosque and declare a new kingdom of god, and that will conceded be as barbarian as the sauds but who will balme them?www.economicstruth.com

The Saudi family and their cult wahabism is the source of much of the hatred, terrorism and funding for both in the world.
They have no legitimacy other than being puppets of the British empire last century.
Shame on America for protecting these barbarians. Their rule will end one day as well.

Politicians of European constitutional monarchies should ask their respective royal families to start interacting more with the Arab royal families. Hopefully, then a greater number of the Arab royals would understand that they only have two options.
First, they could agree to slowly surrender power, while trying to be accepted as a royal family living in luxury without any real political power (much like Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain and other European royals). Or, they will stop being royals all together (exiled or having their heads chopped off like during the French revolution).
I think resistance to democratization from the Arab royals would be much less, if they were to envision a future for their country not as a republic, but as a constitutional monarchy. Even more so, if they were to realize that the more proactive they are themselves in promoting democracy in their respective countries, the more likely it is that eventually they in the end will be accepted by their citizens as formal representatives of the whole country, although without political power.
Actually other democracies with a royal family should also ask their royals to interact more with the Arab royal families. One example of such a royal family would be the Japanese one.

As of right now 25% of the 20 year olds that are leaving university in the UK are without jobs. In the US the unemployment rate for kids in their 20’s is around 36% since they graduated and did not get a job, they can not claim unemployment benefits and do not even show up on the U3 statistic.
Why is it that no one believes these kids in the UK and US are not about to riot and revolt against the government. On the flip side 80,000 Saudi men and women are attending college in the United States alone on full scholarship and even more globally for schooling through to a PHD. A Saudi scholarship pays for flights to and from the Kingdom annually, free cell phone to call home and housing expenses as well.
The Saudis get free healthcare that includes sending people the US for special operations and treatments. Those kids can get interest free loans to start a business if they wish, something the US and UK kids can not get from their government while they are paying back their student loans with interest.
The problem is an entire group of Saudi kids that don’t want to work and not a lack of jobs that are currently being performed by an army of foreign nationals. Ask any ex-patriot working in the Kingdom and they will tell you they don’t want to work an 8 hour day and you need 3 Saudis to do the work of one American.

Hey, if those 25% of graduates without jobs don't know the difference between expatriates and, like in your post, "ex-patriots", I'm not surprised that nobody would hire them.
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Seriously, quality of education, especially at the so called 'liberal arts colleges' is so low, that "kids" - often in their late twenties and early thirties - can only fondle their self-esteem with their degrees. They have no practical value whatsoever. MA in ecological technology, huh? LOL!

Inside jokes should have been explained. Sorry. It is a running joke with my friends that work in other countries that to try and avoid taxes. I do love to rib them that they are not patriots and are ex-patriots due to their abandoning their country and avoiding their patriotic duty of paying taxes.

The point is still clear that all of those well educated kids come home and want a job as a CEO because they went to a good school. If I were to pick a degree like these kids have, I would most pick one that would allow me to get a job in my country. Getting a degree in oil development when I live on Fiji would be a bad idea. As much as a degree in Ecological Technology in Saudi Arabia seems a little silly since they have little reason to use alternate energy sources that spill out of the ground, it is not bad if you can find someone in the market to employee you. The market is the market. They are getting a great number of doctors and that is a good thing for a country wanting to leave the tribal stone age of the third world.

Everything the Saud(i)s do nowadays is related to Iran.They wont let the Persians play first fiddle in the region. Thus they have to destabilize Iran in a way or other. Be it in Syria, with economic sanctions via US, by keeping oil prices low (could be a boomerang)or encouraging the Sunnis in Iran (eg.Balouchistan). However, the Persians also know how to play the game.Be it in the small Emirates in the Gulf or in oil rich fields of Saudi Arabia, Shiites are there, too.

kindda looks like the region is paying for the lonf rivelry of iran and KSA. they are playing in iraq qith their fellow shiite groups and sunni groups, in afghanestan-at least at some times-, the saudis are paying for the salafi movemenets around the globe, afghanestan, uzbakestan, even the near-to-iran tajikestan.
looks like if the US stops making these two countries more hostile towards each other, the region could have more peace

TE: “A third of Saudi young people are jobless. The 140,000 or so Saudis studying abroad will want a say when they return”.
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One would expect them to want jobs in the field of their study, and only after they proved themselves worthy - “a say” in societal matters. The problem is, whatever education Saudis get abroad, they expect to become bosses (in the most general sense), bankers or bureaucrats upon returning. To busy themselves with anything else is a shame for them.
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Technology, research, industry of any kind, including the all important for the country oil industry, healthcare – in other words, any practical area – are manned predominantly by guest workers, from doctors to garagists, telephone technicians, domestic help... you name it.

TE: “A rising middle class will not lie back indefinitely on a cushion of handouts in lieu of a real voice in running the show”.
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A middle class can rise only on real economic activity. Loafers by their own choice (practical or menial jobs are shameful in the Arab mentality) living on petro-money handouts don't count for such. And they certainly don't deserve “a voice in running the show”.

Reluctant Polluter you need an update. What you have in Saudi is not loafers by their own choice. It is the only thing we were allowed to do. Speaking about politics is not allowed and generally avoided in public. You can only talk it if you are supportive to what you think is the government's view. Fortunately, social media and particularly twitter really changed that.

The country is full of guest workers because they are cheaper and because of the need generated by the huge expansion. As for Saudis wanting and expecting to become bosses upon their return, that is just natural, we know better. :)

I sincerely wish you all the success in becoming a boss. Boss of your own destiny, that is. It can ever happen only if you start to dismantle Wahhabi domination in minds and souls. Mohammedanism as the stalwart of your society is what's killing it. Dynastic rules of inheritance are the distant second (or twenty second).
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And this will take something much more serious than social media. Twitter against mosque?... Hm, is it a Hollywood romantic comedy, or what?

Your post has some accuracy into it, especially if we were speaking 10-15 years ago. It's changing dramatically as we speak. Lots of Saudis now are working in their field of study, technical, menial, labor jobs.. you name it.
Lots of Saudis also are becoming doctors, engineers, scientists and high end careers, aiming for a better life quality and status, being a boss now is not an aim, but it won't hurt.
Lots of Americans wont do some mexicans job, do they get a voice or say?

I'm a Saudi youth studying in America, I see a better, different future for us, given the right timing and circumstances. And we ARE going to run the show.

Saud family is irrelevant to this problem - they're monarchs, and in a monarchy they're out of the equation.
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If the population of the country (or some alien invaders) manage to change the construction of the society - say, establish a republic - then the Royal Family becomes just a family, and then they'll deserve (or not) to have a voice in running the show on the same basis as everybody else.
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But not in current circumstances.

Here is the part that you are not comprehending and which make your argument not make sense:

The reconstruction of Saudia Arabian society or who has a voice in running the show is not going to change the cultural desires, but the change will be who the acting monarch is.

In a culture where the norm is for the rich to do nothing but dictate and the slaves do all the work and make no direct decisions, then everyone will want to emulate the top. And some will fight for their chances to actually get there.
The culture desires are common to all the people, slaves and rich and everyone in between
Everybody in this culture has a final desire is to be a monarch (that is control the wealth and otherwise not have to work work.)Its just that the slave/monarch roles have to be changed around a bit from time to time in order to ease the tensions and avoid stagnation as the monarch cycles always end/begin. Great Britain included.
There is no perfect society, its all a work in progress which cycles round and round. Now does that make sense?

Yes, it does - because it just confirms what I told in the first place.
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To be clear, I believe that monarchy as a type of society is superior to republic, and by far - to democracy (which is just the rule of mob). But then, it depends what type of monarchy we speak about.
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The Saudi type is the most primitive and, to be straight, silly one. You described it quite precisely, and true - it's the prevalent culture which determines monarch's and everyone's else mentality over there. And culture is based on religion, whatever the shrilly atheists bleat. Hence we come to Islam as the root of their troubles.
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Enlightened monarchy is very much different: even the most absolutist of them - say, Lois XIY of France - wouldn't imagine to prescribe their subjects' diet, to control their every business transaction, to tax them off of more then 75% of their income, or to conscript all males into the armed forces. Not to speak of introducing a tax on hot (or cold) weather...
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Democracies do it.

Last time 'The Economist' forecast political change in the Arab world it was 2010, and they were predicting that social-media-led political upheavals would shortly spell the end of Mubarak et al. Uncanny. I'm therefore inclined to take this prediction seriously.

A part of the world still stuck in the Middle Ages, suddenly amassing all that wealth and power during the 20th century (largely due to geological luck, rather than social or economic accomplishments), has done little to affect positive change in the Middle East.

In many ways, it has probably held back the global Muslim community, due to the sudden prominence of the backward-looking Wahhabist branch of Islam, which the Saudi's have lavishly funded and aggressively promoted around the world.

Old men, with pre-20th century social mores (who take policy guidance from the Qur'an) charting the course of countries has not proved an effective system, anywhere. It's difficult to see how societies still presided over by such political establishments can meet the social, economic and environmental challenges of the 21st century.

The Saudi's have a long way to go before they can enjoy the benefits an open society and economy. With the deepest of respect to that ancient culture: there's a lot of catching up to do. The sooner they get moving down that path, the better for all concerned.

I unreservedly apologise if you found my comments offensive, or felt that they reflected hatred.

The human race is all in this together, so I am entirely behind the Saudi people, and any attempts to move their country forward (just as I am behind attempts to move all countries forward, including my own).

My comments regarding contemporary Saudi society were based on things such as:

> the fact slavery was only outlawed there as recently as 1962

> in 2009 Saudi Arabia imprisoned a man for 3 years and gave him 300 lashes, because the Saudi police interpreted a booklet written in his native Eritrean as occult symbols

> business people I know who work in Saudi Arabia report that the government's near-blanket control of Saudi industry leads it to being inefficiently and inappropriately organised, compared to economies where there is greater economic freedom

> the fact of the position of head of state is being passed around the ageing sons of a recent absolute monarch

Maybe my comments did not do justice to the recent achievements of the Saudi people in the last century. However, to my mind, all of this speaks of a society facing major obstacles before it can embrace the fruits of modernity in the best interests of its people.

For your information, I have read the Holy Qur'an - a book for which I have nothing but the profoundest respect, in full. However, I question whether it can provide that much hard guidance on the multitude of public policy issues which modern societies face.

Once again, I apologise if you were offended. I wish only the best for yourself, Saudi Arabia and its people.

Thank you for the reply. I will only reply on the Holy Qur'an part, because for the rest, I won't dig into history for individual cases. And as for the shameful slavery, this is part of our development, and how countries develop. 1962 might be like yesterday for your country as a civilized country, but it's an history for us, since our land has transformed is very short time.

As for taking Qur'an as a code of policies, I believe it is not for the specific issues; neither the modern nor the old. A guidance does not equal a book of codes where 1+1=2. However, "guidance" is a broad word, and taking the Qur'an for guidance is something we want.

The ruling family did not take the book to apply rules. A source of guidance, for the law. Not for their political behavior.

We can argue about to what extent did they really apply Islam even in law, but this is not the topic. I just wanted to clarify that the family's internal political failure and misconduct has nothing to do with following the guidance of the holy Qur'an. Linking between the two is misleading.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.
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One thought, might look irrelevant:
The church's men represent the religion. Therefore, when they have alliance with the ruler people will hate religion, and the reaction is getting away from it, as happened clearly in western Europe.
However, Islam's scientists are only scientists. They are valued for their knowledge. They are not holy men, and hence do not represent the religion by their actions. We don't see scientists-in-religion holy. Their alliance with someone doesn't make that person more valuable.
Islam is there, everyone can read and be a scientist when they give it the dedication.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful, considerate approach making your point.
You hit the nail on the head, and if I to be honest, there are way many things in Saudi needs to change, and right now, if we aspire to keep up with the rest of the world. There are things I'm truly ashamed of there and only hope we, as the new generation, can change and make it a better place, and further more contribute to the world.
I'm studying here in America, and I've come to realize of how different and backward we are. America have taught me so many things I'm so excited and hopeful to bring some back home.

And you're right, it may seem like a long way, but we're willing to take it, fastidiously.

I hope the Saudis could embrase this change and not resist it, it's inventible.
And the youth, especially the 29 years old, should take constructive criticism and observations as tool to help see things differently and use it.

I do sincerely appreciate your delightful input and concern about our country, being part of the universe. And that the better it gets, the better the world become, as with any country.

I came to work in Saudi Arabia six years ago and found it to be a very good and safe place to live and work. I do not feel any fear or repression amongst young talented Saudis with whom I work. It is not a country like Egypt or Iraq under Baathists or Central Asian regimes to whose excesses the West closed its eyes as long as they were keeping the Islamists in check. People feel safe and happy at their work place and homes. The young Saudis whose technical eduction in West was fully financed by the government are as good and talented as in any Western country.
The House of Saud transformed this desert with few roads, schools and decent houses into one of the best places to live in the course of the past 60-70 years. I hope they continue to rule the country in the current balanced way.

Which PR company did the House of Saud employ ? Or have they outsourced a little PR work to the Hasbara? The truth is India and any country with a sizeable Muslim population is awash with Wahabis and Saudi money The Wahabis are famous for two things being party pooping killjoys (no music no sports no women with out FULL burquas etc etc ) and producing fundamentalists who are one step away from being terrorists ! And yes the Saudis have a PEACHY REALTIONSHIP WITH BOTH USA and ISAREL

You are obviously one of the lucky ones. Try looking further down the scale to the expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia and I don't think many of them would agree with you. Indonesia, Philippines and now Kenya have all banned sending housemaids & domestic staff to work in Saudi Arabia because of how badly they are treated, either through physical or sexual abuse, working inhumanly long hours, or because they are not paid. The House of Saud transformed this desert on the back of slave labour, and it would fall apart without all the worker expatriates, but its human rights records seem to be ignored by the US & UK, as well as other Governments.

You are obviously one of the lucky ones. Try looking further down the scale to the expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia and I don't think many of them would agree with you. Indonesia, Philippines and now Kenya have all banned sending housemaids & domestic staff to work in Saudi Arabia because of how badly they are treated, either through physical or sexual abuse, working inhumanly long hours, or because they are not paid. The House of Saud transformed this desert on the back of slave labour, and it would fall apart without all the worker expatriates, but its human rights records seem to be ignored by the US & UK, as well as other Governments.

You are obviously one of the lucky ones. Try looking further down the scale to the expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia and I don't think many of them would agree with you. Indonesia, Philippines and now Kenya have all banned sending housemaids & domestic staff to work in Saudi Arabia because of how badly they are treated, either through physical or sexual abuse, working inhumanly long hours, or because they are not paid. The House of Saud transformed this desert on the back of slave labour, and it would fall apart without all the worker expatriates, but its human rights records seem to be ignored by the US & UK, as well as other Governments.

Saudi Arabia is more responsible than any other country for the current chaos in the Middle East. It has used its oil weath to placate and foster a significant number of barbaric fanatics, either by making sure they have sinecures, big houses, big cars, and cheap maids to rape and abuse, or by sending them abroad to stir up trouble elsewhere through "proselytization" (see Chechnya, Bosnia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, etc...). It's more than ironic then that it considers itself a stabilizing factor.

If you're looking for me to defend America's invasion of Iraq, you're barking up the wrong tree. We're in agreement on that. That doesn't doesn't have anything to do with, however, the role that Saudi oil wealth has played over the past 70 years: fostering intolerance; spreading ignorance; glorifying violence. Are you honestly going to argue that it hasn't been Saudi money funding and staffing the madrassas in NW Pakistan? How's that worked out? As for evidence of my previous accusations, you can use google. Every country I mentioned has been inundated with significant amounts of "charity" from Saudi Arabia, and most of it goes to building monstrously hideous mosques led by -- you know who -- Wahabbi idiots. These seeders go on to raise a community of violent ignoramuses, in the process often uprooting far more peaceful, indiginous practices of Islam. And for you to decry American intervention in Iraq and applaud Saudi meddling in Syria (undoubtedly involving Sunni terrorists -- you know like the ones from 9/11), then we clearly have different standards on hypocrisy.

off course they should be active in removing syria and assad!which saudi prince wouldt want a fewer iranian allie in the region?!
where they as active in Yemen?c'one, theire both arab countries,what makes Yeman and Syria so diffrent/

Building mosques, churches or any other place for people to worship is not a problem.

Saudi Arabia got a license from those countries' governments to build a mosque. Moreover, the preachers in those mosques are not Saudis but are from the countries where the mosque is built. Therefore, if these countries have corrupt governments that agree on such a thing, they should get most of the blame for their lack of monitoring or regulation.

Regarding charities to Pakistan my friend, "come on", (and please don't get wrong here, but we're debating politics) the US is the biggest charity giver to Pakistan!!! It finances some parts of the government of Pakistan, read the news (I recommend the Economist for this one).

Finally, Sunni terrorists in Syria? That was a bad one. I don't think a SUNNI child bombed with his family by the regime is a SUNNI TERRORIST.

The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council, largest member "Saudi") was the most active player in resolving the Yemeni problem. The Yemeni problem was worsening because of Mr. Ali Abdullah Saleh (Former President). Actually, pressure from the GCC led Mr. Saleh to hand down his power. Therefore, your argument is incorrect.

Second, at least Saudi Arabia is working under international laws and through diplomacy to resolve the Syrian crisis. On the other hand, countries such Iran are sending weapons to the regime to continue the bloodshed. Thus, SAUDI ARABIA AND NOT "A SAUDI PRINCE" (remember Saudi is a country and not a prince) will OFCOURSE be in a different position with Iran. Syria is an Arab country, a member of the Arab league and a crucial player in Middle East politics and Saudi Arabia knows that, hence, this is why it will matter more to Saudi than Iran.

But we will never fully get rid of the resource curse until a concerted effort is made to replace petrol as the primary source of fuel for automobiles.

Western governments need to support alternative energy more forcefully, not only for their own resource security - but also for the welfare of the millions of human beings living behind the oil slick curtain.

I am reminded of the 1996 movie The American President. I do not usually think there is a lot of wisdom from Hollywood but they hit on something transcendantly brilliant:

When the female protagonist lost her environmentalist effort to get off fossil fuels she angerly scolded the President and took it personally. The President said she did not lose anything compared to the nation.

Another country in trouble also has ultra-conservative, and totally corrupt, religious authorities: Greece. Possibly, in Greece, they might be forced to pay tax and butt out of politics, but I doubt it.

In SA I doubt they would let go of their brain-washing control of the people under any circumstances. Even the ruling family is frightened of them.

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true."
--Steve Jobs

Sooner or later all power is yielded.
We can choose to yield...or have it yanked from our hands.

Ultraconservative Salafism based in Saudi Arabia is the seed of modern terrorism for the past generation. And the current Royal leadership is largely responsible for its worldwide proliferation.

God in His Wisdom has seen fit to make men mortal.
Death will be the Change Agent for the Saudis.
And the Saudis MUST change or endanger the world.

"Ultraconservative Salafism" XD wow, how did you come up with this term?!
I'm glad we inspire you to come up with such terms. I can see your frowning face while striking the keyboard while typing the sentence! Take it easy, we won't go anywhere. Enjoy life, and stop envying others.

Kind Regards,
A 29-years-old Saudi. A seed of modern awesomeness. Like the rest of Saudis.